Garden Office / Studio

[3cows]

Hi there ED - am looking at building a posh shed / studio in the garden to run my business from / quarantine the teen kids etc and have been looking at various options (log cabins, bespoke etc) and is starting to get a fairly complex. Anyone any experience of building something in the garden.

Thanks in advance

[BigED]

My advice is first to check with the council to find out whether you need planning permission or, conversely, what (if anything) you would be able to do without planning permission. There would certainly be restrictions if your work space could be a living space - so having a kitchen or toilet/washing facilities might make your life harder. And there may also be restrictions on building materials so you could ask the council about that too. Presumably you are going to need electrics if you are running a business, so that would probably need to be signed off by an accredited electrician and possibly by the council too. And bear in mind your neighbours - if the eventual structure blocks their light or privacy they may have reasonable grounds for objection to a planning application if your plans don't fall within permitted developments. Knowing the constraints that the council's planning requirements might put on you might help narrow down your options.

[3cows]

Cheers BigED. Sound advice - It seems there is a fair amount you can do within permitted development.

[KidKruger]

3cows: I've been getting into this recently and after talking to my arctictect-type chap, am going for a shed/summer house affair, which I'll run water and power to from the house and create a drain outlet. I'll insulate it and have some basic heating. was gonna go brick-built etc but there's just no point given the costs and hassle. Horses for courses tho.

[3cows]

Do you need extra planning if you are getting water etc. I had work on the house recently and so there is water and electricity going to the end of the garden and a soil pipe coming back. Not sure if putting in a loo changes things. Do you mind me asking who you are looking at build something?

[Lowlander]

You can run electrics to a shed/greenhouse so no planning issues (just make sure you get a qualified sparky to install, who may employ a builder to dig the cable trench). Water and drainage ditto.

The problems start when/if it becomes residential...

[KidKruger]

Do you mind me asking who you are looking at build something ?

If you mean me, I have used an architect for other things and was asking him in a general conversation, he hears it a lot and it was basically a binary outcome between very expensive and 'built' v wooden (temporary). Unless you;re going to live in it or use it as an annexe (my conclusion was) a timber shed was sufficient. you can insulate it etc if really needed. Bottom-line for me was, if I make dough through projects based in the 'shed' then fine I'll be able to affford to upgrade, otherwise it ain't justified.

[3cows]

Thanks - I had been looking at log sheds as they all looked fairly sturdy and are pre cut. Thanks for the feedback

[3cows]

No was only as an office / place for the kids to knock around in. Cheers